Men Elite Road Race

The final event – The Men Elite Road Race will start in Øygarden and Fjell with a “Tour de region” before the world’s best cyclist shall battle it out in the City of Bergen for the rainbow jersey.

The wild and authentic coastal landscape of Western Norway will mark the start of the final event – the Men Elite Road Race.

Departure will be at Rong. The teams will have a rolling 10 km towards the spectacular Rognesund Bridge. We can expect to see a major gathering of the locals, boats and vessels that will wish to celebrate the riders once they get there.

After the bridge the teams have a flat 20 km towards Kolltveit. The beautiful coastal landscape will give the riders small chances to rest before they face a small climb (400 m) at Kolltveit. After a quick descent the teams face another flat 3 km before they cross the magnificent Sotra Bridge. The suspension bridge is 1236 metres long, and has a free span of 468 metres with 50 metres of clearance. For both the riders and the TV-audience, this will be something to remember.

Then the riders will race towards the circuit in Bergen. It departs from Festplassen and takes the riders up to Mount Ulriken where the riders will have a fantastic view over the city. Then the circuit goes around the old wooden housing in Sandviken, before the final stretch along Bryggen and the finish at Festplassen.

The circuit starts out with a flat 200m in a well-lit tunnel before entering the Puddefjords Bridge. After 2 km the first climb awaits at Solheimsviken. It’s about 500 metres long, but will be crowded with lots of fans and spectators. The second climb comes after about 5 km, and now the riders will face 1 km with 5 %. With a light rail stop in the middle of the climb, this will be another popular fan zone.

For the first part of the race, the race will take it gentle at this part of the circuit. The flat section will see the teams and riders preparing for the last and main climb up to Mount Ulriken. The 1.4 km ascend is beautifully carved into the mountainside with houses wooden surrounding the road. Together with the city centre, this will be the most popular fan zone with massive amounts of people. With 6.5 % in average, the climb will offer a good chance for a break away. This gives a tactical dimension to the race, the battle will be immense, and the riders will have to perform their very best.

After the majestic sight at Mount Ulriken there is a descent with intermediate technical turns for about 1 km, then it is flat towards the city centre where the final parts of the circuit is identical as for the other races. The last 2.5 km is flat with gentle curves and no roundabouts.

We can expect to see several hundred thousands of spectators for this final event. It will be a “Race to Celebrate”!